951 miles in the new Rolls Royce Wraith

Ollie Marriage has a dinner appointment in Vienna. And the keys to the latest Rolls…

I pull up outside the Palais Coburg Residenz. A man steps up to the car, but is happy to wait while I relax my head back and rub my eyes. I quickly realise that I'm not anything like as weary as I ought to be having got up so many hours ago and driven so many miles. Final statistics? 951 miles, 12 hours 49 minutes at the wheel, trip computer averages of 23.8mpg and 76.2mph. I've been completely beguiled by this car. I will savour this experience in the same way I have when I've driven a Zonda on the Stelvio.

This has been an apt and appropriate thing to do in the Wraith, to drive to Vienna for dinner. It's unnecessary, but really rather wonderful, so much richer and more satisfying than simply flying. This has been life-affirming and that has been almost completely down to the car. The Wraith proves that the massive trans-continental drive isn't only still feasible, but also pleasurable - it's been magnificent throughout. I have, since leaving Calais, been trying to think if there was another car in existence that I would rather have done this journey in. In the last 12 hours I haven't been able to come up with a single one. And with that, I go in to dinner.